‘Boardwalk Empire’ actor Jack Huston to star in ‘The Crow’ remake

Boardwalk Empire actor Jack Huston is to star in the long-planned remake of The Crow.

James O’Barr, creator of the original The Crow comic book series, told Dread Central, that Huston has “definitely been cast” in the remake, adding that the film is now due to start shooting “in a couple of months”.

Huston replaces Luke Evans, who pocketed the lead role of Eric Draven in May 2013, but dropped out in January of this year (2015) after becoming frustrated by the project’s slow progress. In December the film hired a new director, up-and-coming Brit Corin Hardy, after Spanish filmmaker F Javier Gutierrez became unavailable to helm the remake.

The original 1994 film The Crow starred Brandon Lee as Eric Draven, a murdered rock star who is brought back to life by a supernatural bird – “the crow” – so that he can avenge his own murder and that of his fiancée. The film was based on O’Barr’s acclaimed 1989 comic book series of the same name.

Lee was tragically killed during an accidental shooting on the film’s set, but The Crow went on to become a hit at the box office and spawned three sequels without him, the most recent coming in 2005.

A remake has been in the works since 2011, with Bradley Cooper and James McAvoy both linked to the role of Eric Draven before Evans, and now Huston, landed the part.